Digg for Israel

For the uninitiated, this has nothing to do with archaeology or a shovel. And it’s not a spelling error. So then, you ask, what does this mean?

Social news sites on the internet are the latest battle grounds for hearts and minds. They’re web sites where people share links to news articles and others find them. Users of social news sites often organize themselves into groups of like-minded individuals, who stay up-to-date on news and developments of interest to them by reading news that their “friends” submit to the site. In addition to becoming someone’s friend, users can also become a fan of other users and monitor the news they’re posting. News links are placed in loose categories and rise in prominence and attention when people vote for them. On one social news site those votes are called “diggs”, which harkens back to the good old days when friends would ask “can you dig it, man?” Users can also vote against a digg by clicking the “bury” icon, reducing the link’s ranking and even preventing it from showing up in topical listings. That particular site is called Digg, and it is one of the most popular and active social news sites on the internet.

In addition to digging articles, users can post comments and replies to the news links submitted by anyone else. Then the comments can be dug or buried, just like a news link.

Now you’re asking, how does this translate into a battle for hearts and minds?

Users can share links to almost anything and they can say almost anything they want in their comments. And this is exactly what they do. What this all adds up to are pro-Israel and anti-Israel diggs and comments. Some are blatantly anti-Semitic, some are plain lies, and others are inaccurate. Reminiscent of the four sons, the battle for hearts and minds lies among the uninformed readers, who may get a false understanding of the conflict from people with an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda. The first line of battle, from afar, is the posting of links to news articles supporting a cause. The pitched battles take place on the comment-field, where writers contradict news articles and each other, often getting nasty and slinging mud. They also digg and bury each other’s links and comments.

This is where you come in. You can show your support for Israel and help shape public opinion by digging stories on Digg. Sign up for membership and search for links to articles containing the word Israel. If you agree with the article or feel that it supports or portrays the truth, click the digg button. If you feel the opposite you can click the bury button. The same goes for comments. Anti-Israel or anti-Semitic comments, or comments that are just plain lies, can be buried and hidden from future readers if enough people click the thumbs-down bury button. This is all very intuitive and once you get comfortable you’ll find yourself adding people to your friends list, digging news stories of your own and posting comments to other people’s posts. You can also find “friends” by looking at other people’s friend lists.

The result may just be that you’ve helped shaped someone’s view or understanding of Israel, or possibly changed someone’s mind. You’ll also feel the satisfaction of voicing your opinions to the world, fighting for the truth. Follow this link to Digg to get started.

Other sites such as reddit, deli.icio.us and StumbleUpon will also let you share your viewpoint and news to shape public opinion.

Digg

Del.icio.us

Reddit

StumbleUpon

Start digging, and have fun!

Thank your members of Congress for supporting Israel's right to self-defense

Thank your House member and your senators for voting in favor of resolutions that that back Israel's continuing search for peace and right to self-defense.

Record tourism to Israel in 2008, more than three million visitors

2008 was all-time record year for tourism in Israel. More than three million visitors entered the country – 32 percent more than in 2007 and 13 percent more than the previous record year of 2000. http://tinyurl.com/7ypcrx

Tu B’Shevat is coming

At times like this it is important to remind everyone that there’s more to Israel than fighting for self-defense and survival.

Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year of the Trees”, is celebrated on February 9th, the 15th of Sh'vat. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. this holiday was a way for Jews to symbolically bind themselves to their homeland by eating fruits found in Israel. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu B’Shevat similar to the Passover seder. The sweetness of the fruits alleviated the bitterness of life in exile and reminded Jewish people everywhere that the land of Israel awaited its children. The Jewish National Fund provides two Tu B’Shevat haggadot that you can download for free, as well as activities and other information, at http://tinyurl.com/8voc6f.

With the reestablishment of the State of Israel the holiday has found a new expression. It is no longer only the date when fruits of the Land of Israel are tasted. It embodies our dedication to the environment of Israel and has become a tree planting festival in which both Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees in Israel in honor or in memory of a loved one or friend. Read more from the Jewish Agency at http://tinyurl.com/6sdruo.

Anti-Semitic Attacks on Jews, Synagogues, Other Jewish Organizations, since Gaza operation Cast Lead

Updated March 23rd, 2009

Op-Ed: Anti-Semitism: Combating a global pandemic, by Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of “The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control.” http://tinyurl.com/br9euy 

Attacks against Jews and Jewish organizations around the world increased with the fighting in Gaza in December 2008 and have continued into 2009. Here is an updated list of anti-Semitic incidents:

Overseas 

1	12/26/08	Yemen to build ghetto for Jews
2	12/30/08	Anti-Jewish vandalism in Paris is linked to Gaza.
3	12/31/08	London Jews under attack; Jewish man pulled from car and assaulted
4	01/01/09	Danish police have arrested a man for shooting two Israelis in a shopping mall
5	01/02/09	Hamas has threatened to attack Jewish targets around the world
6	01/03/09	Swastikas were found on Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial
7	01/04/09	The children of Yemeni Jews in Raida district of Amran province were assaulted by Yemeni Muslim students due to the Israeli attacks on Gaza
8	01/05/09	A major Ontario union proposes to ban Israeli academics at the province's universities
9	01/05/09	Fliers in Copenhagen call for the killing of Jews
10	01/06/09	Hamas leader says revenge for Israel's Gaza assault will be murder of Jewish children across the world
11	01/06/09	A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the liberal synagogue in Brussels amid a wave of anti-Semitic attacks against Jews across Belgium
12	01/06/09	Two cars with petrol bombs were launched in attacks on a synagogue in Paris
13	01/06/09	Anti-Semitic intimidation and violence surges in London and Manchester
14	01/06/09	Yemeni Jews demand to be relocated quickly following a recent increase in attacks and threats coming in the wake of Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip
15	01/06/09	Unknown assailants set fire to the door of Brussels synagogue
16	1/06/09	Pro-Palestinian protesters shoved burning rags through the mailbox of a Jewish home in Antwerp
17	01/06/09	Anti-Jewish violence in Europe
18	01/07/09	Anti-Semitic graffiti in Hastings
19	01/07/09	Jews in Sweden under increasing threat
20	01/07/09	The hysteria that dare not speak its name
21	01/07/09	Edmonton synagogue windows smashed
22	1/07/09	Israeli basketball team forced to flee as Turkish crowd storms court
23	01/08/09	Anti-Semitic attack on teenage girl in Paris
24	01/08/09	Surabaya Activists Block Synagogue, Burn Israeli Flags
25	01/08/09	Vandals break windows at synagogue in Germany
26	01/08/09	Anti-Semitic incidents cross Australia
27	01/08/09	Italian trade union proposes to 'identify and boycott' Jewish-owned shops
28	01/09/09	Fears grow that hate-filled Islamic extremists are drawing up a “hit list” of Britain’s leading Jews
29	01/09/09	Spike in incidents against Jews in Canada, including harassment and death threats
30	01/09/09	“Kill a Jew” graffiti appear in Bosnia
31	1/10/09	Norwegian police used teargas and detained some 100 protesters Saturday after a protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza went out of control in Oslo
32	1/10/09	Anti-Israel protests turn violent across Europe
33	01/12/09	Nine firebombs thrown at synagogue in Paris suburb
34	01/12/09	Copenhagen police evacuated a city synagogue during a service over fears for the safety of the worshippers
35	1/13/09	Palestinian hits synagogue guard with iron bar in Berlin
36	1/13/09	Burial chapel of a Jewish cemetery in Sweden's third largest municipality was firebombed
37	1/13/09	London Starbucks is firebombed 'in protest against Israel'
38	1/13/09	Europe Reimports Jew Hatred
39	1/13/09	55 anti-Semitic attacks in France since Gaza
40	1/15/09	Arsonists have thrown petrol bombs at a Paris synagogue, the fourth such incident since Israel began its offensive in the Gaza Strip
41	1/16/09	Jew stabbed in Paris suburb
42	1/17/09	A synagogue in France's eastern region of Lorraine was the target of a Molotov cocktail attack
43	1/17/09	Explosive device found at Chabad in Florence, Italy
44	1/18/09	Swedish Cemetery Firebombed
45	1/19/09	Three Attacks on Synagogues in Netherlands
46	1/19/09	London man attacked ‘for Gaza’
47	1/19/09	Anti-Semitic Incidents in France
48	1/19/09	Security increased at Jewish buildings following attacks in Amsterdam
49	1/19/09	Maribor synagogue in Slovenia vandalized
50	1/19/09	Attacks on Jewish community in Netherlands
51	1/23/09	Wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Turkey
52	1/23/09	Romford, England, synagogue attacked by anti-Semitic vandals
53	1/25/09	Kosher warehouse in Paris hit in arson attack
54	1/29/09	Rise of anti-Semitic incidents in Latin America troubling
55	1/30/09	Anti-Semitic leaflets left at Ukraine synagogue
56	1/31/09	Synagogue in Caracas Venezuela attacked and vandalized
57	2/1/09	Shop owner in Reykjavik, Iceland posts sign stating “Jews not welcome here.” Also see this article on Iceland news site DV.is. According to this article on Wikipedia, the Jewish presence in Iceland is almost non-existent although the first lady of Iceland is an Israeli Bukharian Jew.
58	2/3/09	Explosive device found at Ukrainian synagogue
59	2/4/09	Austria: Innsbruck synagogue to receive more police protection after a wave of attacks by vandals
60	2/8/09	Spain: Ancient Barcelona synagogue, employee attacked
61	2/9/09	Anti-Semitism on the rise in Sweden
62	3/4/09	Vandals desecrate Transdniestr, Moldova, synagogue

Incidents in the US

1	12/29/08	In Chicago, a firebomb was thrown at one of the city’s oldest synagogues in an arson attempt
2	12/31/08	Protesters in Florida supporting Hamas hurled insults and hate speech
3	01/03/09	Two synagogues in Knoxville were struck by vandals
4	01/01/09	Jewish day schools in Chicago received a bomb threat
5	12/31/08	A San Francisco Holocaust Memorial was defaced with Anti-Semitic graffiti
6	12/30/08	Anti-Semitic signs were placed on a Dalton, TN, synagogue
7	12/31/08	Anti-Israel signs were placed at a synagogue in Irvine, CA
8	01/05/09	A preschool in Camarillo, California is hit by vandals with anti-Semitic messages for a second time in one week. This is the fourth time this year the school has been defaced with swastikas
9	01/06/09	At least six residents on the same street in Bethesda, Maryland have found anti-Semitic fliers in their driveways
10	01/06/09	Milwaukee protest includes anti-Semitic and anti-Israel expression
11	01/08/09	Anti-Semitic fliers distributed in Bethesda and parts of DC
12	01/10/09	Waiter serves fear at Jewish wedding in Woodbury
13	01/11/09	Four synagogues in Chicago, Lincolnwood, defaced by vandals
14	1/10/09	Gaza war protesters turn San Francisco into “Arab street,” label all Jews as terrorists, equate Israeli with Nazi Germany
15	1/16/09	Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue vandalized
16	1/23/09	Brockton shooter planned to end the shooting spree at a synagogue
17	1/26/09	Mobile, Alabama suspect who spray painted anti-Semitic graffiti on synagogue is believed to be a domestic terrorist
18	1/27/09	Historic Tulsa, OK, synagogue gutted, blaze under investigation
19	1/29/08	Anti-Semitic incidents in Madison, WI increased in 2008
20	1/30/09	Synagogue in Portland, Maine, vandalized with swastika
21	3/4/09	Rockford, Illinois, synagogue defaced (includes video)
22	3/17/09	Modesto Synagogue Defaced With Swastikas, Graffiti

Also see the CST (Community Security Trust) Antisemitic Incidents Report 2008 detailing incidents in Britain, and “The writing is on the synagogue wall - World depressions lead to a rise in anti-Semitism. All over Europe, the evidence is around us.”

What can you do? Be aware, maintain a heightened sense of awareness. The organization that coordinates security for North American Jewish institutions has advised Jewish organizations to reassess their security. And of course, advocate for Israel. Here are some ways you can support Israel:

Stay informed with the news from Israel:

• Watch English TV news from Israel (may be preceded by a 30 second commercial in Hebrew). (http://tinyurl.com/6mxebp)
• Listen anytime to the news in English from Israel Radio. (http://tinyurl.com/5z37ob)
• Read the latest news headlines from the IBA, or listen to live IBA broadcasts in any of several languages. (http://tinyurl.com/8klucl)
• Subscribe to the JCPA’s Daily Alert (http://www.dailyalert.org/)

Attend and promote pro-Israel rallies.

Urge your members of Congress to support Israel's right to self-defense

Support Israel’s right to exist (http://tinyurl.com/7ofjvg)

Advocate for Israel: A Guide (http://tinyurl.com/9snf23)

Israel Advocacy Resource Guide (http://tinyurl.com/9cmjsm)

Tools for Advocacy (http://tinyurl.com/89ljh6)

Resources from the American Jewish Committee 
(http://tinyurl.com/2o6eza)

On One Foot (http://tinyurl.com/a68s8k)

GIYUS.org (http://tinyurl.com/esp9n)

10 Ways You Can Help Israel (http://tinyurl.com/9fc4dr)

StandWithUs (http://tinyurl.com/6kst6k)

Support Israel in Your Community – Attend a rally

Israel solidarity rallies are scheduled for many areas around the country, including the following cities.

New York
Albany, NY
Northern New Jersey
Southern New Jersey
Bridgeport, CT
Boston, MA
Washington, DC
Harrisburg, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Columbus, OH
Youngstown, OH
Miami, FL
South Palm Beach County, FL
Palm Beach, FL
Atlanta, GA
New Orleans
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
St. Louis, MO
Los Angeles
Peninsula, CA
Sacramento, CA
San Francisco, CA

Click here for more information about attending a rally, resources you can use to help support Israel, groups on the ground in southern Israel that need your support and online activities to show your support (http://tinyurl.com/7ckhae).

Rockets Fired from Lebanon into Israel's North

At least three rockets were fired into the north of Israel from Lebanon on Thursday, wounding two Israelis near the town of Nahariya. The Israeli Army said it "responded with fire against the source of the rockets." (http://tinyurl.com/6tw5mz)

New York area Israel Solidarity Rally on Sunday, January 11th at 11:00 AM

Numerous organizations will join with the JCRC of NY and the UJA-Federation of New York , in cooperation with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, to sponsor a New York metropolitan area community-wide rally in support of Israel.

The rally will take place near the Israeli Consulate at 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue.

Download the flier by clicking here. (http://tinyurl.com/9fgqa4)

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Launches Emergency Campaign to Raise Awareness and Funds for Wellbeing Needs of Israel's Soldiers

FIDF Asks Jewish Community to Show Support and Love for Israel's Brave Soldiers

Following the recent developments in Israel and the on-going IDF "Cast Lead" Operation, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) has launched an Emergency Campaign, titled "FIDF Frontline Operation," aimed at raising awareness and funds to fulfill the immediate wellbeing needs of the IDF Soldiers on the frontlines of the Gaza Strip.

In response to an emergency request from the IDF to supply more goods and wellbeing services to the thousands of active-duty and reserve soldiers deployed in the Gaza Strip area, FIDF is accelerating its activities to help soldiers in the field.

To learn how you can help click here (http://tinyurl.com/7j6aas).

2008 – The year in rockets

Of the 3,278 rockets and mortar shells that landed in Israel in 2008, the ones that made headlines were hits on shopping malls, schools and homes. Eight people were killed and 947 people were wounded. Thousands of civilians suffered from anxiety, shock, and various traumas. Once the "RED ALERT—TZEVA ADOM" sirens sound, they have 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter before impact. The continuing fire of rockets and mortar shells has a severe, cumulative psychological effect on the population, causing severe damage to its social structure and severe damage to its feeling of safety.

With Hamas rockets from Gaza striking as far as Ashdod (http://tinyurl.com/82px49), Ashkelon (http://tinyurl.com/85zvlt) and Beersheba (http://tinyurl.com/9epuhh) nearly one million Israelis live within range. The IDF Home Front Command issued new instructions to citizens (http://tinyurl.com/879dte) and released a video showing how to react or prepare for incoming rockets (http://tinyurl.com/7t4yhm). Citizens as far as Tel Aviv have been ordered to prepare their private shelters (http://tinyurl.com/9t73q6).

For a summary of rocket fire and mortar shelling on Israel in 2008 download a report from The Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center (http://tinyurl.com/9wob3y).

Israel issues new instructions to citizens to prepare for rocket attacks from Gaza

With rockets from Gaza striking as far as Ashdod (http://tinyurl.com/82px49), Ashkelon (http://tinyurl.com/85zvlt) and Beersheba (http://tinyurl.com/9epuhh) , and nearly one million Israelis living within range, the IDF Home Front Command has issued new instructions (http://tinyurl.com/879dte) to citizens and released a video (http://tinyurl.com/7t4yhm) showing how to react or prepare for incoming rockets. Citizens as far as Tel Aviv have been ordered to prepare (http://tinyurl.com/9t73q6) their private shelters.